Many Israelis Appear To Take Baghdad Bombing In Stride

JERUSALEM — Yossi Melman went jogging on Saturday morning, the day of the Jewish Sabbath, and was astonished when he ran into two cyclists with gas masks slung over their shoulders.

The pedaling duet was not debating the merits or the fallout from the U.S. missile strikes against Iraq the previous night, but argued heatedly whether or not a new Israeli coalition government could advance the peace process with the Palestinians.

Israelis carrying gas masks are an unusual sight these days in a nation less concerned with the prospect of incoming Iraqi missiles, deemed unlikely, than with the stalled peace process with the Palestinians and a coalition government held hostage by its right-wing allies.

This weekend, parks and sidewalks were jammed with strolling people. Children played on a mild sunny day, and the thud of bombs crashing into Baghdad seemed far away.

In the last week there was no repetition of the panic of February when Israelis lined up for gas masks and tape to seal up windows and doors after Washington and London threatened to bomb Baghdad unless U.N. arms inspectors were allowed unlimited access to military sites.

On Friday, the army had to appeal to the public to come and collect new masks waiting for them at 65 distribution centers. Even then, there was no rush.

In cafes and on street corners, no one disputed the U.S. strikes against Baghdad were justified or "good for Israel's security."

Most Israelis are quietly content their old nemesis in Baghdad is being pummeled.

But like some Americans, they have also become skeptical that the massive air strikes were really intended to bring the Iraqi dictator to his knees rather than serve the survival of the governing parties in Washington and Jerusalem.

There are also those who fear that weakening Iraq excessively will give Iran more power in the region. "Iran is more dangerous to Israel and the Arab world than Saddam Hussein," said Melman, a leading author and columnist.

This weekend, Israelis, like Iraqis, went about their business as if the air strikes had become a byproduct of life in a region where panic and scares have run thin over the years and a new kind of pragmatism and skepticism has gained ground.

"I'm not the kind of person who goes into a panic, nor do my friends," said Linda Epstein. "We don't wear gas masks at this stage but some people do because some people like to be on stage."

Epstein, director of the Israel office of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, pointed out that only one Israeli died during the Persian Gulf war while 598 died this year alone in car accidents.

And she dismissed the threat of terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists.

"There is nothing different about this situation than what we have lived with for the last 20 years. Terrorism is no novelty to any of us," she said.

The periodic alerts are grinding on people's nerves.

More and more Israelis are saying something permanent has to be done to ensure peace in the region.

"It's not possible to have a situation where every six months we go into high alert and take out our masks. We are constantly on and off alert," said hotel manager Ezra Astruc, 40.